Nothing Original Here Today...We're sort of busy;-)

Polish madonna
Blessed the husband of a good wife,

    twice-lengthened are his days;
A worthy wife brings joy to her husband,
    peaceful and full is his life.
A good wife is a generous gift
    bestowed upon him who fears the LORD;
Be he rich or poor, his heart is content,
    and a smile is ever on his face.

A gracious wife delights her husband,
    her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones;
A gift from the LORD is her governed speech,
    and her firm virtue is of surpassing worth.
Choicest of blessings is a modest wife,
    priceless her chaste soul.
A holy and decent woman adds grace upon grace;
    indeed, no price is worthy of her temperate soul. 
Like the sun rising in the LORD's heavens,
    the beauty of a virtuous wife in her well-ordered home.
-from the Book of Sirach


A Homemaker's Prayer
May I have the strength and the will to do the humble tasks, that make a house a fit abode for my loved ones. Clean floors, shining china, dainty curtains, clean sheets, good food, a cheery fire-may my willing hands make these things possible.
But Father, let me remember that man does not live by bread alone, that material things but make a proper setting for life's real treasures of mind and spirit. Give me patience and understanding and kindness and humor and love in abundance, and charity for all. May the spirit of happiness, of joys and sorrows shared, of unity, of the peace that passeth understanding linger here! Help me to keep the path to Thee open and easy to find for the little ones in my keeping. And let there be laughter here.
And last, dear Lord, help me to remember the stranger without the door. May there be warmth enough on our hearth to share with him.
Is this too much for one so weak, so full of faults as I, to ask? At least it can be a goal toward which to strive, and to Thee all things are possible. Amen
-Mrs. Howard Peet,


Prayer to St. Anne for Homemakers
Dear St. Anne, we know nothing about you except your name. But you gave us the Mother of God who called herself handmaid of the Lord. In your home you raised the Queen of Heaven and are rightly the model of homemakers. In your womb came to dwell the new Eve uniquely conceived without sin. Intercede for us that we too may remain free from sin. Amen.

Nesting List

Edited version: Thanks to those of you who have noticed I've been silent here. I hope to be back soon. I appreciate your prayers and kind emails. Nothing terrible is happening here. Just lots and lots of little details. I've made great progress on my list (though I admit I probably need new list for things that have crept up since;-) . I'm updating here today, but refraining from adding all the new things because, quite frankly, for one day, I'd like to hold onto the illusion of forward progress;-)

What is it about me that makes me think I need to have my house perfectly in order to have a baby? Partly, it's history. The times when I've left an ordered house at home and gone to deliver have been my best labors and deliveries. Coincidence? Maybe. But after eight such experiences, I'll take it as science around here. And then there's the postpartum period.  The more organized I am, the better things go. Absolutely. When one flirts with postpartum depression every time and has met it on occasion, this is a big, big incentive to get one's act together.  This time, the threat of bedrest has accelerated the nesting stage.

Fortunately, last winter, I thought we were moving. So, I did some major de-cluttering and organizing. We were in pretty good shape. For about three weeks. And then, I was pregnant. I spent the first nineteen weeks of this pregnancy in the throes of severe nausea and vomiting. I didn't move much. I didn't clean as well as I would like; didn't supervise as much as needed. I did, however, devote a great deal of time to things I could do while sitting very, very still. I planned most of my lessons in great detail and I reorganized my home notebook. Then, I lost the notebook files in the lightning strike. I'm slowly reworking them on the new computer. Now, I have seven weeks to kick it all into gear and put the plans in motion. Then, if bedrest isn't necessary, I could be in very good shape moving into the third trimester. And if it is necessary, we'll do just fine. So, here, for accountability and curiosity purposes is the list;chances are it will get longer before it gets shorter:

  • bedroom switch: girls
  • bedroom switch: boys
  • shop for Michael's dorm
  • help Michael with menus and groceries
  • get Michael off to school
  • reorganize picture books
  • clean out bookbags
  • re-stock bookbags
  • replenish school supplies (tax free weekend Aug 1-3)
  • completely de-clutter learning room (Did this but it needs doing again already.)
  • reorganize DVD/video closet
  • clean out refrigerator top to bottom; disinfect
  • clean out indoor freezer
  • defrost deep freeze
  • stock freezer
  • clean out pantries
  • re-stock pantries
  • clean mudroom
  • laundry caught up
  • clean out closets
  • wash baby clothes and fill drawers
  • order more diapers
  • new changing table pad
  • shop and wrap Christmas presents
  • wipe out inside of all kitchen cabinets
  • paint kitchen
  • paint trim in sunroom
  • paint sunroom?
  • paint basement
  • basement trim
  • family room trim
  • craft/storage room organized
  • toys organized in the basement
  • new ballet schedule/teacher
  • new soccer teams
  • organize sports driving schedule
  • update religious exemption filing
  • all kids to dentist
  • all kids to orthodontist
  • find a new pediatrician
  • dog to the vet (We did this but he needs a re-check. Not sure when I'll get to that since Michael was doing the vet visits and he's not due back until Thanksgiving;-)
  • finish lesson plans through January
  • write columns ahead of deadlines
  • clean out the garage
  • add new lasagna layer to front bed (Waiting for the weather to cool a bit and I'll combine this with fall planting.)
  • add new lasagna layer to roses

My Heart's at Home Daybook~August 12

I've really enjoyed The Simple Woman's Daybook--be sure to visit Peggy for the latest entries.

***
Outside My Window ...the weather promises to be absolutely beautiful all week long--in the high seventies and low eighties with low humidity. This is not at all what August in Virginia is usually like. I am hereby scuttling plans to begin lessons this week.
***
Towards a daily rhythm ... we haven't got much rhythm right now. Karoline's been sick since last Friday and I'm so sleep deprived that I can't even really tell time, never mind dance to it.
***
I am thankful for ...the community of saints to keep me company in the dark of night .
***
From the kitchen ...
for breakfast:
hashed brown potatoes and poached eggs 
Lunch:
leftover steak and asparagus from Michael's "Last Night Home Dinner"
and for dinner:
something from Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way--we're cooking straight from the book this week.

 Still no refrigerator repair.

***

I am wearing ... denim capris, Mike's polo shirt, big hair clip, crocs. 
***
I am creating ...hmmm...I'm trying to revitalize my nature study blog so that my kids can use it for narrations once again. I guess that's creative:-).
***
I am going to breathe deeply ...Mike and I have been walking in the evening. I don't go very far but it's nice and cool and it sure is good to get out.
***
Bringing beauty to my home ...The trim painting continues (still). We'll complete the bedroom switching this week and hopefully all my plans for order will crystallize at last.We're using every square inch of this house.
***
I am reading ... Little Men and Jo's Boys--getting my annual fill of Plumfield inspiration before the school year begins.
***
I am hoping ...to get a good night's sleep sometime soon. Very soon. I also hope to catch up on a giant backlog of email.
***
Around the house ... my friend Molly came to help me tackle some items on the nesting list. We've made great progress. Now, of course, it's time to really work on maintenance and diligent adherence to the chore chart.

One of my favorite things ...family dinners. We're going to struggle the next few nights. Despite our competing schedules, we eat dinner as a family the vast majority of evenings. When Mike first took his current job two years ago, I started feeding the children ahead of him because he got home so late. I really noticed the toll it took on our family life. So now, we eat dinner at all odd hours, but we eat it together. Karoline and Nicky especially are sensitve to everyone being present and in his or her particular seat. Michael won't be here tonight--or any night until Thanksgiving. This is not going to go over well.

***
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Michael leaves for school today. Six kids go to the dentist tomorrow. More PT for Patrick. Did I mention Karoline is sick?
***
Here is a picture thought I am sharing~
Hartland_orchard_2
   

We went back to the orchard last week to pick peaches. They were truly the most amazing peaches I've ever eaten! I haven't uploaded those pictures yet. Look for them later on the nature study  blog.

Final Answers on the Chore Chart (I think)

In an email with "email the chore list" in the subject line, someone wrote:

I was wondering if you could send me the chore document in the original program. You have it posted as a JPEG and it would save time retyping if you sent the word or txt file along.Thanks so much!

No, I'm afraid I can't. As as said in this post, it was saved as a [.pages] file.  I also mentioned that a previous chore list is available to download here. There's another one here. They are both Word files that you can use as templates.  Incidentally, I found these by searching "chore chart" on the Blogbar on the righthand sidebar of this blog. I offered a JPEG this time so that you could have a literal picture of what my chore chart looks like. I don't think there's any way to avoid retyping. Your children don't have the same names as mine. Your rooms and chores and priorities are bound to be different. I bet even your trash pick up day is different. There is real worth in thinking through the system. When you think it through for your house and your family, you benefit enormously from being intentional.  If you really want a chore chart all made up for you, Motivated Moms sells similar chore charts, but they are geared to Mom and not children. For our family, it was well worth the time to make a chart geared specifically to us.

In another email, Monique wrote:

Do you actually mark things off as they are completed either daily and/or weekly?  I used your chart last time a spring board to create a chart for the things I wanted the children to do weekly with their school work.

I do actually mark things off. There are seven "bubbles" beneath the daily chores. After I inspect the job I fill in the bubble. For the weekly tasks, there is a line to left of the job for a check mark after inspection. Making a similar chart for school work is a great idea--I just might give that a try!

Incidentally, there are no complicated reward systems attached to the chore chart. Basically, in this house, we go with 2 Thessalonians 3:10 "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." Generally speaking, food is a great motivator! ;-)


More Chore Chart Questions

Heather asks:

I was wondering what program you used to make your chore chart?  Howdid you get the check off bubbles under your daily chores?

I used Pages on my Mac this time. Last time, I did it in Microsoft Word. Select the two column format. To make the little bubbles, type a row of seven capital "Os" beneath each assignment, putting a space between each O.

I can't upload the Pages file, but there is an old Word file of the chore chart in this post that you can use as a template.